Heller argued that the Second Amendment granted an individual the right to bear arms and the requirement for registration of handguns, prohibition on guns in the home without a registration certificate, and requiring trigger-locks for legitimate guns in the home violated the amendment. The lawsuit was dismissed by the district court but reversed by the District of Columbia Circuit on the premise that the Second Amendment protects individual's right to bear arms. The U.S. Supreme Court later granted certiorari (U.S. Supreme Court, 2007).
Issue: The issue in this case is whether the provisions of the District of Columbia Code violate… Continue Reading...
of guns.
The side that is against gun control will typically cite Second Amendment rights (Elving, 2018), the right to bear arms. This right is interpreted by this side liberally and broadly, as to mean that the right is immutable, and should exist without restriction. Any restriction on the right to bear arms, therefore, is unacceptable. There are certainly nuances within individuals, but the immutability of this right is the core element of the argument against any particular gun control.
In standing against gun control, the logical flow of the argument rests on the Second Amendment rights, and particular interpretations of the Second Amendment that forbid control or… Continue Reading...
and right, ensconced in the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Because of Second Amendment assurances, all Americans technically have the right to bear arms in self-defense. Some states have attempted to restrict Second Amendment rights, but the vast majority of states have implemented “some statutory version” of the Castle Doctrine (“What is the Castle Doctrine,” n.d.). In fact, some states like Florida have taken the Castle Doctrine a step further to invoke what are commonly called “stand your ground laws.” Whereas the Castle Doctrine only applies to a person’s “castle,” or home and private property, stand your ground laws can be invoked in any situation requiring self-defense. There is no… Continue Reading...
of firearms amid security and cultural crisis brought about by the War on Terror.
Background
Firearm legislation is not new in the West. As early as 1594 when the Protestant Queen Elizabeth of England fearing attack from angry Catholics banned wheellock pistols near the palace (Jardine, 2006), firearms have been the center of controversy. On the one hand they have been recognized as the instrument of protection and their possession deemed a Constitutional right in many regions (most notably in the U.S., which has made the right to bear arms a centerpiece of many movements and organizations, such as the NRA). On the other hand they have been viewed as a threat to peace, life and security. Queen Elizabeth certainly felt that the concealed wheellock was a threat to her own life -- though the underlying cause of the fear -- serious antagonism between clashing cultures (the Protestant culture and the Catholic culture in England) -- was more to the point of the matter. Guns, therefore, can be seen as a symptom of a much deeper… Continue Reading...
acts passed by Congress since the 1930s. Why there is gun control is hard to answer. The United States government believes people have the right to bear arms as seen in the Second Amendment. However, little to no regulation of guns has led to numerous incidents of gun violence that continues to spark action from Congress. From the deaths of important political leaders to school shootings, gun violence is at the heart of gun control in the United States. (Jacobs)
For someone to understand gun control, it is important to examine the reason for gun control aside from high-profile shootings. Jacobs states gun control legislation has focused on preventing accidental shootings by promoting safe… Continue Reading...
